Best bets and inside mail for Tamworth on Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Jockey Ben Looker can be the punters’ friend at Tamworth on Tuesday aboard a Jan Bowen-bred-and-trained three-year-old that looks primed for victory. Get Shayne O’Cass’s best bets and inside mail.

Ben Looker looks hard to beat in the TAB Jockey Challenge at Tamworth.

Jockey Ben Looker can be the punters’ friend at Tamworth on Tuesday aboard a Jan Bowen-bred-and-trained three-year-old that looks primed for victory. Get Shayne O’Cass’s best bets and inside mail.

   

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TAMWORTH TIPS

BEST BET
Race 3 No.11 WITHSTAND
Jan Bowen-bred-and-trained gelding who has run particularly well in three uncommonly strong maidens.

NEXT BEST
Race 8 No.8 SOARING PHOENIX
Beat Dont Call Me Honey at her only start at this track and trip. Ran a huge race in a Highway last time out.

VALUE
Race 2 No.2 HIGH AND MARTY
Hard to read but he has shown glimpses of talent in two starts to date. Good draw, good jockey.

DAILY DOUBLE
1st Leg: 5, 2nd Leg 8

QUADDIE
Race 5: 2,3,4
Race 6: 3,4,5
Race 7: 1,3
Race 8: 8

JOCKEY TO FOLLOW
Ben Looker will ride Life’s A Party in the day’s feature race in the Tablelands.

TAMWORTH INSIDE MAIL

RACE 1: Benchmark 66 (2100m)
CENOTES (1) ran fifth to the now Big Dance-eligible Cranky Harry in a TAB Highway three starts ago. Fast forward to August 16 and the Colt Prosser-trained son of Rebel Dane was utterly dominant winning a 2100m Benchmark 66, Goes up 2kg is the only little concern. SPOKE TO RAJIV (4) has talent way beyond what he has been doing lately bearing in mind he has been hampered by Heavy tracks and building up his fitness levels to get out to this trip.
Bet: Cenotes to win, exacta 1 to beat 4.

RACE 2: Maiden Plate (1000m)
HIGH AND MARTY (2) is a bit hard to read given he spelled after his debut, came back, ran moderately and was spelled again. He has shown a few little glimpses of something in his trials and this is not at all strong. In saying that, former Victorian EL BEATLE (1) is a worthy favourite given what he did down there. Has joined one of the most astute stables around and gets Ben Looker and barrier 5. SARAYA (8), the Kris Lees filly, kicks off in a winnable race.
Bet: High And Marty to win, quinella 1,2, box trifecta 1,2,8.

RACE 3: Maiden Plate (1400m)
WITHSTAND (11) is a strikingly handsome horse, almost black in colour. The son of Brave Smash was bred by his trainer Jan Bowen and has a record of two thirds and a fourth from only three runs, all of them in stronger maidens than this. The 1400m seals the deal. BLAZED PRINCE (1) has been costly to follow but he has always looked like a 1400m horse. Rodney Northam duo IT’S SHOWTIME (3) (building) and MIGHTY ZOU (4) (good on debut) are players.
Bet: Withstand to win (best bet).

RACE 4: Super Maiden Handicap (1200m)
MOON TREATY (3) went up $12 with the TAB fixed but was $5 the next day which is far more realistic when it comes to his chances on Tuesday. He’s an interesting horse; he has Morphettville and Murray Bridge placings from his time in SA. Third-up here for the new management and liable to peak. SO ROSIE (12) makes appeal with the light-weight and even more so given she has an extra 200m tacked on this time. EXCEEDAQA (2) and LET’S GO LEO (7) can figure.
Bet: Moon Treaty to win, exacta 3 to beat 12.

RACE 5: Class 1 Handicap (1400m)
Cody Morgan is closing on 150 wins at Tamworth where he boasts a winning strike-rate of above 20 per cent which rises to 47.2 per cent when placings are added. Morgan saddles-up TURBO CHARGED (4) here, a son of Deep Field who was a huge fourth and a barnstorming winner in his only two runs for Morgan. DIVINE NOTE (2) ended his first preparation on a high (pardon the pun) when he won at Kempsey. Hulu had the easiest of trials post his first-up Muswellbrook second .
Bet: Turbo Charged to win.

RACE 6: Tamworth Rush Benchmark 82 (1200m)
LIFE’S A PARTY (5) has four wins and four placings from 13 starts. She ran second to Wilbury one day at Wellington and split Gallant Star and Sir Ming in a Randwick Highway a few starts later. She was beaten by the speedy Custo first-up in the Dubbo Sprint Prelude but lost no admirers. Ditto that last bit for IRON HAT (4) who was 10th of 12 at the turn in the same race, winding-up third at the finish. Just can’t draw an alley. DEEP ROUGE (3)’s fourth (here) and the sixth (to Cavalier Charles no less) were fantastic runs.
Bet: Life’s A Party to win, exacta 5 to beat 3.

RACE 7: Class 2 Handicap (1600m)
SEBILLA (3) is a handy mare, she has been from the start, but now that she has got out to a mile (she is by Divine Prophet after all), she has really hit her straps. They’ve been able to ride her a bit closer with that step up in trip and good barriers, up until Tuesday that is! Messara-Gavramich entry TAPA KICK (1) has two wins and six placings which almost ‘guarantees’ him a place on the podium here. Plainly it doesn’t, but he certainly does have the form and the barrier to be there. LORD FINLAND (8) and MAGNACE (2) are in contention.
Bet: Sebilla to win.

RACE 8: Class 3 Handicap (1000m)
SOARING PHOENIX (8) is a Brett Cavanough-trained mare who easily defeated Dont call me Honey here on debut at her only start at the track/trip. Fast forward to August 10 and she ran as well as any and better than most in a TAB Highway. LAST FRONTIER (1) (as written many times here before) was a $380,000 Easter Yearling in 2021 who was sold in 2023 for $600 without having a run. He has now had four of them, three of which he won, he was third at the other. SACRED DELAGO (7), CRIMSON BONNET (12), HAIKU STAR (14) and ROCKBARTON FASHION (11) are all players.
Bet: Soaring Phoenix to win, First 4 – 8 (standout) to beat 1,7,11,12,14.

Originally published as Best bets and inside mail for Tamworth on Tuesday, August 27, 2024